PEMRA issues show cause notice to Geo News for discussing 'under investigation matters', airing 'unipolarity of views'

PEMRA accuses Geo News of resorting to conduct that is "prejudicial, biased and is considered as abuse of media power" but fails to mention specifics

By Web Desk
March 14, 2020

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory issued a show-cause notice to Geo News on Friday for airing "unipolarity of views in its news bulletins and programmes" and discussing "under investigation/ trial matters which is barred under PEMRA laws", a day after the National Accountability Burea (NAB) arrested Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Geo Media Group Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman in a fake case.

The show-cause notice called on Geo News' CEO or any authorised representative of the channel to appear for a personal hearing regarding the matter on March 20, 11:00AM.

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"The licensee is also directed to appear for personal hearing on March 20, 2020 at 1100 Hrs. through its C.E.O. in person or through authorized representative before this Authority," read the notice.

Despite giving the channel a week to respond to its notice, PEMRA has started issuing directives to cable operators to shut down GEO News' broadcast in several cities across Pakistan and push the channel back to the last numbers.

Geo News broadcast shut down in several cities, channel demoted to last numbers

The channel was shifted to last numbers in various cities and its broadcast was also disrupted after Dr Firdous' presser on Friday. Geo News Director News Rana Jawad had spoken to the channel and said that the directives to cable operators came from the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).

"Cable operators are being asked to change Geo's position [on TV channel numbers]. Shifting the channel to the last numbers means shutting down its broadcast," he had said.

Jawad had said that these instructions were also given to the main cable operator in Islamabad and that no legal basis was provided for the action. He said that PEMRA was threatening to take legal actions against cable operators who did not comply with the instructions.

He said that Geo tried to contact PEMRA chairman for a clarification on the matter but he could not be reached. Jawad said that a cable operator in Islamabad had shifted Geo from number 7 to 71 and that cable operators in other cities were following suit.

"This is being done at a time when the Editor-in-Chief of the Jang Group/Geo has been arrested by NAB," he had said. "This [censorship] is a manifestation of the conspiracy to shut down, silence and end media," he added.

Jawad had said that MSR's arrest and the subsequent censorship of Geo shows that the two events were linked to each other so that the largest media group in the country could be silenced and its voice should not reach the masses.

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